The Color White, is Easily Stained
by MidSummersDream10
Summary: Several years has passed after WW2. Everything is back to normal at Hetalia Academy! That is until two new students arrive... With new arrivals at the school, Japan's world is turned upside down. But who are these two new students? Rated T for several different scenes
1. Chapter 1

The class was always noisy. Even when the teacher came in and started class, discussion would always break out.

Japan came in and sat in his usual seat next to Italy. "Ve~ Japan, look at this!" The Italian went off about something amazing he had found. The other students around them were jumping up and throwing paper balls into the trash can.

The door opened. "Class…" The teacher was cut short when a paper ball hit her face. Everyone stopped and pointed at America. The teacher huffed and walked to the front. "Class, today we will have a new student. Please, please, act a little bit more mature!" An audible groan went through the students. The teacher smiled. "I am glad we all agree! Now for today's lesson…"

Italy leaned and whispered into Japan's ear. "Ve~ I wonder who the new student is," Japan nodded in agreement wondering. Every country was present in this school. Who could possibly not be here?

**XXX**

Several minutes passed and the new student had not shown up yet. Japan continued to ponder on who this person could possibly be. Time continued to pass.

**XXX**

The door slowly opened and head poked through. "Is this the correct history class?"

The teacher looked over. "If you mean History in room 439, then yes, this is correct."

The person sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." They fully opened the door and stepped in. Everyone looked up.

Japan looked to see who the mysterious person was. He dropped his pencil and his eyes widened. His heart started to race and pound in his ear. The new student just had to be her.

**XXX**

The bell rings throughout the halls and classes. "That's a wrap class. Please read pages 54-67 for homework tonight." Everyone packed their bags and ran out trying to get to their next class.

Japan quickly dashed out the room gasping for air. His he couldn't breathe or think straight for the hour class was. Why did she have to come? He gathered his dignity and stood up straight. He wasn't going to let this affect him. Not one bit.

* * *

**Do not worry! I will be posting Chapter two soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

Japan tried. He really did. He tried to push everything out from his head. But, the memories kept coming back to him. His classes were blurs and couldn't remember the people he met up with that day. The only thing he could remember was her face when he saw her in class this morning.

"_You can sit in the desk behind Japan." The teacher pointed to the seat. Japan locked eyes with her for a second and looked away. She passed by him with grace._

Her presence behind him was enough to start sweating. Japan shook his head. "Things will be fine. Everything will be ok."

**XXX**

The lunch bell rang throughout the school. Everyone eagerly dashed off. Japan slowly walked to his usual table. When he reached his table, every hair on his body stood on end.

How did Italy know her?

Not only Italy, but how did all of Western Europe know her?

Japan shook his head. Why was this bothering him? This shouldn't be bothering him.

After all… She did grow up in an all male family….

The Europeans talked with her like old friends. She laughed and smiled.

Japan wanted her to smile for him. He wanted her to laugh with him. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted…

His thoughts were interrupted when Italy waved him over. "Ve~ Japan! Come over here!"

She looked up. She stared into his eyes. She didn't falter. She never did.

Japan felt his heart beating faster in his chest. It could just jump out right now. Sweat started roll down his face. He looked away from her gaze and quickly dashed out of the lunch hall.

**XXX**

The sun was shining and a cool breeze swept the campus. Japan took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

He wasn't ashamed. He wasn't even sorry. But… Why did he feel so…?

Japan tried to shake everything out. There were only four more hours until the school day was over.

**XXX**

The last bell rang and everyone quickly ran out. They wanted to go home or hangout with friends.

With the exception of the Asia Class.

The Asia class always stayed after school at the library. Studying was their only priority in school. To exceed everyone else and be the best.

Japan walked down the empty hallway towards the school library. He was glad to be going somewhere that wouldn't… _Couldn't_ remind him of her.

Footsteps came from the other side of the long hallway. The figure got closer and now in full view.

Japan's heart started to race. There was no running away now.

"Hello Japan."

* * *

**Hmm... Sorry if this was short. Chapter three to be posted later!**


	3. Chapter 3

She came down from the other end of the hallway. Japan knew he couldn't run away anymore.

She had grown taller, at least five inches taller. The blazer was buttoned in the middle and hugged her waist. The plaid skirt exposed most of her legs. Her hair was in the usual braid.

"Hello Japan." She had a strong voice and it had definitely matured over the years. Her stare fixed on his eyes.

"He… Hello… South Korea…" He didn't look back at her. "You've grown taller…"

"No…"

Japan looked up at her.

"You only grew shorter." With that, she walked into the library.

Japan bit his lip and his eyes darted around. Just breathe in and breathe out… It's not a difficult task…

**XXX**

The library was filled with other students from the Asia class. Each of them were spread out and buried in piles of books and papers.

Japan sighed and went over to his usual table. He took out a binder and started to study.

**XXX**

The clock ticked. Japan looked at it. Six thirty pm. He got up and stretched. Time to go home. He gathered his belongings and swung his backpack on.

As he started to head out, Japan looked over at the other students. They started to pack up as well. His eye caught Korea still sitting at her table reading a thick book.

She sighed and closed it.

The book was old and charred. Pages were falling out and so wrinkled; one would wonder how anyone could read it. The familiar Chinese characters ran down the side of the book.

**XXX**

The clock's hand ticked away. Ten o'clock pm. Japan layed wide-awake in bed.

Why… why would she have that book?

Japan couldn't remember most of his Chinese. He got up and wrote down the characters on a piece of paper.

"漢字"

* * *

**I'm sorry for not updating earlier. Believe it or not I got a huge writer's block problem (and it's only chapter three) trying to make the chapter longer, but still have a cliff hanger. In the end I cut the chapter shorter then expected.**

**Please do not hate that I am using fem!korea. I do have a reason behind this. Thank you.**

**Also fem Korea does not have a hair curl! Even in official art she does not have a curl. Her ribbons are red.**


	4. Chapter 4

_The fire crackled and danced against the black sky. Men started to throw in old books. The pages would ignite and the Chinese characters quickly turned to smoke._

"_Stop it Japan!" Korea grabbed his sleeve. "I said stop!"_

_Japan turned around. He held a book with the words "__한글_" _running down the spine._

"_No. I won't stop." He threw the book into the fire._

_Korea screamed "YOU CAN'T!"_

_In one smooth movement, Japan slapped her across the face. "This," he points to the pile of books, "Never happened."_

_Tears filled her eyes. Everything about her had just disappeared in one night._

**XXX**_  
_

BRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIING! Japan woke up with a start. His heart was pounding and sweat crept down his face.

Why was this memory taking over his mind?

**XXX**

Homeroom was by class: the America class, Europe class, Asia class, Africa class, and Oceanic class.

Japan walked into his homeroom. No one looked up and no one cared. All of Asia was still mad at him. Especially Korea.

He sighed. It would take years to rebuild old relations again. Gathering an amount of dignity and pride, Japan walked over to his seat in the far corner.

The teacher came in several minutes later and took attendance.

"We're still missing one student." She looks at the attendance chart. "South Korea,"

She looked up.

"Where is your brother?"

"How should I know?"

Japan's eyes widened. Korea wouldn't normally reply to higher authority that way. What had happened to The Land of the Morning Calm?

**XXX**

The school day went by slowly. Japan had questions piling sky high in his head.

Why were these memories coming back? Why was her brother missing? Why did she act so different? Why was she such good friends with Western countries? What happened?

More and more continued to enter his mind.

"Japan…"

His thoughts were interrupted. Japan turned around. "Hello Italy."

The Italian smiled. "Ve~ Japan, you look worried."

"Ah… I am very sorry." He bowed.

"Ve~" Italy tilted his head. "You don't have to be sorry Japan."

Japan bows again. Italy was his friend, "I'm sorry Italy. I do have to get going." But he didn't want to talk with him at the moment.

Japan turned around and walked towards the library.

"Ve…"

**XXX**

Walk swiftly. Japan quickly walked to the library. Keeping his head down avoiding eye contact with anyone still in the hallways.

"Oof!" Japan bumped into to something. The books in his arm fell to the ground.

"YA!"

* * *

**And once again... This chapter ended up much shorter then I expected... Chapter 5 and 6 are already written out. I am just revising. All I can say is that they are short as well.**

**I am very sorry. Please accept my apology.**


	5. Chapter 5

Japan hit his side against something. The books in his arms fell and scattered all over the floor.

"YA!"

Japan knew that voice anywhere. It was strong and in control. At times, gentle as a flower. He didn't look up. His heart pounded. If he wasn't careful, there would be severe consequences.

"Are you not going to watch where you're going?!" The voice yelled at him with anger; anger that couldn't be measured.

Japan slowly backed away and bowed. "I'm very sorry North Korea."

"Haven't you learned to look at people when they speak to you?" Anger was written all over his face.

Japan bit his lip and looked up at him.

North Korea had grown much taller as well, about seven inches taller. His face structure has definitely matured and his eyes were no longer the round shape they once were.

"That's better." North glared at Japan. Hatred filled his eyes. "Don't do it again."

Japan couldn't look him in the eye. "I… I'm sorry…"

"No you're not. You're never sorry."

How does one respond to that? One wrong word could cause a bigger problem. "I… uh…"

North smirked. "Your apology can't reverse what you did."

"Th… that's not entirely true…" Japan couldn't take those words back.

"What?" With one quick movement North grabbed the collar on Japan's jacket. "Do you really think that?"

"Well…" Several memories flooded his mind. Memories he had tried so hard to keep out.

"I have one thing to say."

Fear crawled all over Japan's body.

"Stay away from Silla." He let go of his collar. "And I'll leave you alone."

Japan had been holding his breath. He breathed slowly, afraid that would set North off again.

"Goguryeo."

South was several feet behind North. She stared right into Japan's eyes. As if she were reading him.

"Leave him alone… He's not worth your time." She walked up and stood next to North. "Let's go."

North glared at Japan. The two walked away, North purposely-bumping Japan's side.

When they were out of hearing range, Japan sighed heavily. He kneeled down and picked up his books.

Don't look back.

Japan looked back.

The two walked down the hall. Even from the back one could tell they had matured and grown up.

They still called each other by those names?

* * *

**Why do they call each other with those names?**

**That will be revealed in chapter six!**

**Another thing: North is taller then South. I am aware that the average North Korean is much shorter then the average South Korean, however I have a reason for him being taller. Also, North does not have long hair or a curl. If you google North Korea Hetalia, imagine the chibi drawing of him in the uniform but with no braid and no hair curl, also in a school uniform instead.**


	6. Chapter 6

_February 11__th__ 660 B.C the birth of a new country. Japan was found by China, who was now raising him._

"_Japan. Would you like to meet your other siblings aru?"_

"_I had more siblings?" Japan thought._

_Japan nodded. He wanted to meet his other siblings._

_**XXX**  
_

"_There's no way you can beat me!"_

"_Learn to use your brain!"_

_There were six of them. Four were fighting with each other in a cheerful way. The other two quietly watched._

"_Look who's coming!" One of them pointed to China. The rest looked over._

"_Hello China!" The six of them spoke at the same time._

"_Ni men hao! I brought a guest over aru."_

_The six came over and crowded around him._

"_His name is Japan aru."_

_One of them smiled. "Hello Japan!" She poked his cheek. "Wah! You're a new country! So cute!"_

_Japan nodded. "Who are you?"_

_The six got up from kneeling._

_The girl who poked Japan spoke first. "My name Silla."_

_A boy with spiky hair and a white bandana around his forehead spoke next. "I'm Baekjae!" His voice was excited._

_A boy with grace cleared his throat. "The name is Balhae."_

_The other girl whispered. "My name is Gaya…"_

_The boy next to her smiled weakly. "My name is Taebong…" They were both very quiet._

_The last boy smiled. He seemed to be the head of the group. "My name is Goguryeo. It's nice to meet you Japan."_

_Silla nodded. "Don't worry. One day you'll grow up to become a strong nation. And we'll help you!"_

_Japan looked at all six of them. Out of the six Silla stuck out to him. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was young. But there was something about her… Something he didn't know._

_However, Japan was glad to meet his new siblings. Glad to have someone other then China._

_The six smiled at him._

_Japan smiled for the first time._

* * *

**I am aware that there will be confusion even after this chapter.**

**Chapter seven is taking a while to revise in a way that everyone will be able to understand.**

**Thank you for your patience**

**One more note: "Ni men hao" Means "Hello Everyone" in Chinese**


	7. Chapter 7

_Silla was right._

_Japan was now older and stronger, still young but better then before._

"_Japan!" Silla was waving at him. "Japan!"_

_Japan smiled a little and waved back. "Hello Silla." He walked over to her._

"_Japan," Silla practically skipped over. "Wa~" She looked at him wide eyed. "You grew so much!" Japan nodded as she walked around him. She put a hand on his head and frowned a little. "You're still shorter then me…"_

_Confused, Japan asked, "Is that a bad thing?"_

"_No…" She shook her head and moved her hand. "It's because I'm older then you."_

_Japan slowly nodded. Did she want him to be taller?_

"_Oh that's right!" Silla reached for the lucky bag, which was tied to another piece of string, tied under her jeoguri and rested on her skirt. She untied the string and handed the lucky bag to Japan._

_The bag was red and the drawstrings were white. Japan received the gift with both hands. "What is this for?"_

_Silla smiled. "Silly. You forgot your birthday already?" _

_Right… It was Japan's birthday. "Thank you Silla." He bowed a little. "Just out of curiosity… When is your birthday Silla?"_

_She tilted her head and frowned a little. "You don't know that yet?"_

_Embarrassed, Japan looked away. "Uh… No…"_

_Even after 605 years, he had never asked that question._

"_That's ok." Silla smiled. "Do you want to hear a story?"_

_Japan nodded._

_She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Long ago, there was a prince who lived in the heavens" Pointing upwards. "Everyday he would look down to the earth and shed tears. His father asked him why he would cry and the prince told his father that he worried about the fate of the mortals. The prince wished to rule them to bring peace and justice. The father was moved by his devotion. He allowed him to descend into the world and rule."_

_Japan listened, intrigued._

"_So, the prince came down from the heavens and onto the world. The prince took care of many human affairs, 360 to be exact. During this time two beasts approached him and wished to become human."_

"_Human?" Japan tilted his head._

_Silla nod her head. "One was a tiger and the other was a bear. The prince gave both a handful of mugwort and twenty cloves of garlic. They had to stave off their hunger while remaining inside a dark cave without seeing sunlight for 100 days."_

"_100 days!" Japan's eyes widened with shock. "But how?"_

"_Well, the tiger in his temper ran away before the task was finished. The bear however, remained patient and on the twenty-first day turned into a beautiful woman." She clapped her hands together. "The woman was given the name Ungnyeo. Shortly after her transformation, she began to crave a child. But because she was once a beast, no one wanted to wed her. In sadness she sat beneath a holy tree and began praying everyday for a child. The prince was moved by her prayers and took human form. He made her his wife and through him, Ungnyeo gave birth to a son."_

"_What does this have to do with your birthday?" Japan tilted his head in confusion._

"_Let me finish silly!" Silla ruffled his hair and laughed. Japan jumped a little and froze. He bowed his head a little to hide his face._

_Silla continued, oblivious to Japan's action. "The son's name was Dangun. Dangun later grew up and established the kingdom Gojoseon on October 3__rd__ 2333 B.C. That was the birth of a new country." She smiled. "Goguryeo, Baekjae, Balhae, Taebong, Gaya, and I were all born on that day."_

_Japan didn't realize Silla was so old. She acted like a child and looked like one. It was 55 B.C. She was 2,278 years old._

"_Silla… Why did you tell me that story?"_

_Silla smiled and poked his nose. "Because where you come from is important. History is important. It makes you who you are."_

Japan loosened his tie and sat at his desk. He reached to a small drawer and pulled it out. Inside was a red lucky bag with white drawstrings. The familiar Chinese character was embroidered on the front.

"僚屬"

Japan scoffed. "Family… What 'family'?"

_Two years later, the Gojoseon family grew angry at each other. Silla broke away and created her own kingdom. That was 57 B.C. Fifteen years later Gaya followed the same suit and broke off. Balhae and Taebong stayed with Goguryeo. 18 B.C. Baekjae left Goguryeo and created his own kingdom._

_The Three Kingdoms time period began._

* * *

**If you look up 'Korean lucky bag' a picture of how they were worn will show up. It will be a cartoon picture but it works.**

**That is the founding myth of Gojoseon. If any readers are still confused, you are free to look it up. The whole myth has three parts. This is the third part. The other two parts are not necessary to understand this myth, but if you want, you can find the other two parts as well.**

**A note: Gojoseon was originally called Joseon. Gojoseon means Ancient Joseon. The name changed happened to differentiate the later Joseon dynasty that happened.**

**One last quick note: The Three Kingdoms period was the Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekjae. The Kingdom Gaya died off early and did not make a significant impact, thus the time period is called Three Kingdoms instead of Four Kingdoms.**

**Goguryeo was the most powerful kingdom. Silla was second and Baekjae was third.**

**I hope this clears some fog.**

**For anyone still confused:**

**North Korea is Goguryeo. Historically this kingdom was the Northern part of Korea and Manchuria. (Pronounced: Go-guhr-yo)**

**Balhae is now present-day Manchuria. The reason why he lives with Goguryeo during the Three Kingdoms is because his land area, Manchuria, was a land mass Goguryeo used to have. (Pronounced: Bal-hae the a's are short.)**

**South Korea is Silla. Historically Silla is a Kingdom from the southern part of the Korean peninsula. (Pronounced: Shilla)**

**Gaya is the small fourth kingdom from the Three Kingdoms that didn't last long enough to play a major part. Historically Gaya represents a small part of the southern peninsula. (Pronounced how spelled)**

**Baekjae is kingdom number three and also apart of the southern part of the peninsula. (Pronounced: Baek-jae also short a's)**

**Taebong historically is later Goguryeo during the late Three Kingdoms time period.**

**But North (Goguryeo) takes a break from the kingdoms and finds a new ruler. He later reunites the peninsula under the Goryeo dynasty. (This is where the name "Korea" comes from.) (Pronounced: Tae-bong short 'a' and the 'o' is more of the 'o' sound.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Another sunrise, another day. It's only been two days, and Japan was exhausted. Tired from the questions, the memories, and the tension. Only 245 more days until school ends.

**XXX**

Homeroom was unusually noisy. And the teacher was unusually late.

Japan quietly sat down and took out his notebook. A crumpled piece of paper fell onto the floor.

"What's this?"

Japan looked up. Taiwan picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. "Japan… Are you relearning Chinese?"

"No… Why?" Japan tilted his head. He was more surprised than anything. Taiwan was the only country who didn't hate him as much as the others. But why?

"Because… it says 'Chinese Characters' on this piece of paper." Taiwan showed the written characters to Japan.

The characters "漢字" were scribbled on. "That's what it means?"

Taiwan nodded and handed the paper back to Japan. Now Japan remembered why he wrote it down. The old book that Korea was reading was on Chinese characters. But why Chinese?

**XXX**

It hit him like a train. Of course there was only one explanation to why she would have a book on Chinese characters.

The library was unusually louder than usual.

Most of the noise coming from China. He was sitting next to Korea pronouncing several words out loud in Chinese.

"Ya…" North walked up to their table. "Help me. I don't know what I'm reading." He plopped an old book down. The same Chinese characters on the spine.

"Ok, Goguryeo." Korea didn't look up at him. The three started looking over the books.

Familiar sounds filled the Japan's ears. There was only one reason why the Korea's wanted to relearn Chinese. Only one thing.

"_Because where you come from is important. History is important. It makes you who you are."_

__**XXX**

_The fire danced against the night sky. Not a single star in the sky. The pile of books soon disappeared. Smoke rose into the air and covered the moon._

_Everything and anything was gone._

_The past no longer existed._

__**XXX**

Friday. The weekend for many students meant to play around and have fun. Japan wasn't going to have fun.

Korea added another book to her collection. Different characters ran down the spine.

"한글"

"Where did you find that?" North pointed at her book.

Korea looked at her old book. "I hid it a long time ago. Only copy left." Her voice was directed to North, but her words pierced Japan's ears.

"Good." North's voice and words were directed at Japan, even though he was taking to Korea. "Treasure's like those should be kept hidden from evil."

**XXX**

_She was tired. Almost there._

_The air was thick and clouds ominously covered the moon. Korea looked up at it. Today would have been Thanksgiving, the day where the moon was the biggest and brightest._

_Voices came from afar. Korea hugged the book and ran towards a small house on the top of the mountain. Japan could never get to the top. The forest was too thick and the terrain was rough._

"_Sir, we can't go any farther into the forest. The branches are too thick!"_

_Korea smiled and continued up to the top. The book was yellowed and starting to fall apart. __한글 __ran down the spine._

"_Joseon will live on."_

* * *

**It is a true fact that the country Taiwan does not hate Japan as much as the other countries do. Most of them, especially the Koreas, still hold major grudges towards the Japanese government.**

**I will say Korea for South Korea and North for North Korea.**

**In Korea, students are required to learn some amount of traditional Chinese. This is because in the past we used Chinese. The only way to truly understand Korean history is to study Chinese characters.**


	9. Chapter 9

Gym at Hetalia Academy was always fun. This was the time of day where everyone could blow off some steam; especially during the Cold War. Mostly the European countries would fight; however, other countries would be pulled in as well. Anyone neutral would just watch in amusement.

Japan walked out of the changing room. Many students were in the gymnasium and some outside in the field area. In plain sight, Japan could see the Nordics standing a few feet away from the gym's panoramic window. They were all in uniform watching something. Perhaps they had a free period. Japan stared for a while then decided to walk out the doors.

"HOLY CRAP! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Denmark jumped up and down yelling with excitement in his voice.

Sweden rolled his eyes in irritation at the Danish child and mumbled, "He has no off switch or mute button."

Japan walked out to the nearby field. A number of watermelons were placed on wooden posts. About half of them were chopped in half.

"That is so cool!" Denmark's energy was incredible. Bursting out the seams. Iceland sighed, embarrassed by his family.

Finland smiled. "I agree. I wonder how she learned to do that."

Korea stood in the middle of the wooden posts. Watermelon juice stained the white fan in her hand. She spun around and twirled the fan. In one smooth movement, another watermelon was sliced in half.

Her foot and handwork looked familiar. Too familiar.

"Japan!" Denmark waved. "Isn't this awe…" He was cut off by Norway who, once again, was choking Denmark with his own tie.

Norway hissed under his breath, "Stupid Dane…"

Japan watched Korea for a while, ignoring the fighting Nordics. Her footsteps were light and her hand movements were graceful. Where did he see this before?

"SCHAHARFD! Uncle! Uncle!" Norway let go of his tie. Denmark gasped for air and laughed obnoxiously. "Geez!"

"What do you think Japan?" Iceland slightly turned his heads towards him.

Those movements were all too familiar. Iceland waited for a response. After a few seconds Iceland asked again. "Japan…"

Iceland was cut off. Japan grabbed his katana and swiftly walked over to Korea. He drew his sword and went to slash at her, once again ignoring the shocked gasps of the Nordics.

Instinctively, Korea spun around and blocked his katana with the, now closed, fan. She smirked and pushed the katana away. Using the momentum, Japan spun 360 and swung the sword again. Once again Korea blocked this attack.

"One. Your footing is incorrect."

"_One. Your footing is incorrect."_

Japan looked at his feet. She was right. Instead of being parallel with his shoulders, his front foot was out at a slight 45-degree angle. When he looked back up, Korea had victory written all over her face. With the closed fan, she pushed the sword making Japan lose balance and fall forward.

"Two. You had your back to me."

"_Two. You had your back to me."_

Japan caught himself. He only had a few seconds to think of a counter attack. In one forceful movement, he planted his left foot into the ground and thrust his katana at Korea. In one quick flick of her wrist, she had the fan open. The katana went right through the fan. Without giving Japan a second to think, Korea moved the fan at angle where the katana was almost out of Japan's reach. She pushed him back and the katana fell out of his hands. Grabbing the handle she pushed the blade end towards Japan. Japan's footing was wrong again. He tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. Korea stabbed the katana into the ground by his face.

"Three. You let me win."

"_Three. You let me win."_

Korea flicked her wrist and the fan closed. The entire fight was all too familiar.

The Nordics watched, impressed yet wary from the memories of WW2.

The insensitive Dane laughed boisterously. "Japan lost to a girl!" In a quick movement, Norway and Sweden kicked him in the groin.

With the small amount of dignity he had left, Japan picked himself up. He grabbed the handle of the katana and pulled it out of the ground. Why was that all so familiar? Japan put his katana back into its holster. He slightly bowed and turned his back to her. He walked back towards the gymnasium doors.

"One. You let your guard down."

The sound of metal slicing the air came up behind Japan. The Nordics all jumped a little, even Sweden. Slowly turning his head around, Japan looked behind him.

North had his sword up against Korea's throat. The only thing separating metal to skin was a thin white, pink stained fan.

Korea pushed the sword away and attempted to jump back. With surprising speed, North used the momentum of the sword to spin around and put the sword up to the other side of her neck.

"Two."

North took a step to the right. Korea took a step to her right. A few more steps to the right and the two were now circling each other. Careful steps in rhythm with the soft wind.

In a blink, North lunged forward and Korea flicked her fan open. The blade went through the hole. "Two, you blinked."

In another blink, North turned his wrist. Korea blinked and in a second, lost the grip of the fan. There was enough strength to have it spin on the blade.

"Three, you let me win."

In a swift movement, the fan closed and spun off the sword. It slapped Korea across the face and her body recoiled. She fell to the ground and North stabbed his sword into the ground next to her.

The Nordics jumped a little. Despite being neutral, Sweden protectively stepped in front of Finland.

Korea huffed and bit her lower lip. She grabbed the sword handle and pulled herself up. "What was that?"

"What was what?" North had a sly smirk creep onto his face. "I'm simply telling you not to show off."

Korea drew out a slow breath "How about you?" There was certain sharpness in her voice. Japan had only heard her use that voice when she dealt with serious matters.

"When did I show off?" North slightly raised an eyebrow. "I've always been better then you."

Korea took a slow breath and slowly let it out. "Right… You've always been better than me." With that, she forcefully shoved the sword, blade down, at North and walked away.

Japan had never heard North outright say that he was better. It's always been a hidden compromise.

A heavy silence fell. Korea angrily walked back into the gym. She kicked the door open and slammed it shut. The Nordics made their way back into the gymnasium, Denmark obnoxiously yelling the whole way.

North put his sword back into holster and glared at Japan. "Didn't I say to stay away from her?"

Japan remembered North saying those words.

"Stop making trouble and just stay away. Understand?" Control. North's specialty. He may appear mad, but his voice was controlled and concentrated towards the person he wished to speak to.

Japan slowly nodded. With that, North turned his back to him and walked off the field.

The field was full of wooden posts, broken watermelons, and sticky juice. The white fan layed in the middle of it all.

It was ripped and watermelon juice had sprayed itself out on the fan. It would never return to the color it originally was.

* * *

**I deeply apologize for taking so long. *bows deeply***

**I had three major problems with this chapter:**

**1. The fight scene. It is extremely difficult to explain the actions. I did my best and I hope you can understand what is going on.**

**2. The dialogue between North and South. When I imagine most scenes, I think of them in Korean. When I translate them to English, I lose some of the meaning and the coolness of how it sounds. I also treied my best not to lose any of the two.**

**3. The Nordics scene. I had to have my friend revise the Nordic scene, because she is an expert and I am not. However, the Nordics were not just randomly put in there. Finland will later play a key role in this story.**

**Thank you for being so patient and I hope you enjoy the story.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Japan had to be careful. Everyone was still fighting in the peninsula. He looked around to make sure nothing dangerous was around._

"_Is that Japan…?" A quiet and whispered voice came from behind him._

_Japan knew this voice. He turned around and bowed. "Yes. Hello Gaya."_

_Gaya softly smiled. Even though she was much older than Japan, she always seemed younger. "Hello Japan. What are you doing here?" Before meeting Gaya, Japan thought he himself was quiet. However, Gaya also spoke softly and was barely audible at times._

"_I was just visiting. I wanted to know how things are going." He straightened himself in response._

"_How sweet." She smiled. "Everything is ok… For now…" Her eyes flickered pain, yet she smiled. With the fan in her hand, she covered her mouth and coughed. Her body was bent so she faced away from Japan and head towards the ground._

"_Gaya…" Japan waited for her to stop coughing. "Are you ok?" Gaya might be weaker compared to her siblings, but coughing excessively was unusual._

_When the coughing quieted, Gaya shook her head. "No…" Sadness crossed her face. "Silla got mad at me…" She opened her mouth to say more, but nothing came out._

_Silla being mad at Gaya seemed impossible. The two sisters were the only girls in the family and were very close. Silla loved her sister and would never let Gaya be harmed. While trying to understand the situation, Gaya cleared her throat and continued._

"_Well…" She searched for the right words. "I helped Baekjae in a war against Silla…" Japan choked on his own breath. "So, Silla got mad at me and invaded my kingdom." Her head sunk. "So now, my kingdom is no longer alive."_

_Japan tried to digest everything. It seemed very strange for someone like Gaya to go into war, especially a war against her sister. After thinking for a few minutes, Japan looked at Gaya. "Gaya…"_

_She looked up. Her eyes were a little moist. "Yes…?"_

_Japan drew his katana. "I would like to have a match with you." He stood angular of Gaya._

_Gaya blinked a few times then nodded. "I accept." She bowed and flicked her wrist. The white fan in her hand opened in a flash. Soon, the sadness in her eyes disappeared. A fierce fire seemed to grow inside of her. "You may start Japan." A new confidence emerged from her._

_Japan quickly took a step forward and slashed the katana at her. It moved from the top left to the bottom right. Gaya flicked her wrist to the left and the fan closed. She stopped the katana from continuing its path. Japan tried to push the fan away, but Gaya stayed strong. In a sudden burst, Gaya pushed the katana away. The force was enough to make Japan spin around._

_With the movement of pushing the katana away, Gaya spun as well. Her footing was light and on her toes. Her skirt elegantly flowed in the wind. Gaya planted herself with grace. Delicately moving her arm with the, fan in her hand, in front of her. With a flick of her wrist, the fan opened up. She aligned her arm straight in front of her face._

"_One. Your footing is incorrect."_

_Japan looked down to see his legs crisscrossed in front of him. Without much thought, he took a step forward and thrusted the katana at her. Gaya quickly spun her fan on her finger. It hit the katana and fell from Japan's hands._

"_Two. You have your back to me."_

_Japan jumped a little and turned around. Gaya was now behind him. How did she do that? Japan had no time to figure out the answer. In a swift movement Gaya spun the fan and it hit Japan's arm._

_When he opened his eyes, Japan realized he was lying on the ground. Gaya was kneeling next to him. The fan covered her mouth and her eyes had sorry written on them._

"_Three. You let me win." The passion and strength from before was now gone. Her usual whispered voice took over._

_What had happened? Japan looked at her. Trying to search what just happened._

"_I'm sorry Japan… I didn't mean to hit you that hard…"_

_Japan shook his head and sat up. Gaya definitely had the strength to be on her own. Why did she hide it?_

"_It's ok Gaya." He got up and put his katana back into his holster. "I do have one question."_

_Gaya nodded and waited._

"_Where did you learn to do that?" Her movement was so graceful and light. As if she could glide on the wind._

_Gaya laughed a little and folded the fan. "I taught myself. Goguryeo told me that I had to learn to defend myself. So I did." She smiled proudly._

_Of course Goguryeo would tell her that she had to defend herself. He was always protecting them. Especially Gaya and Silla since they were the only females in the family. That's what he treasured. Family._

_The two talked for a while and night soon fell._

_The peninsula had many mountains. Gaya pointed to one and the two walked to the top. Every once in a while Gaya would stop and have a cough attack. Each one became progressively worse._

"_We made it." Japan was relived. He looked around the land. Every star seemed to be visible that night. The moon gently glowed on the land and the grass shined. "Gaya…" Japan turned around to find Gaya slowly coming up to him. She covered her mouth with the fan. It was hard to make out what she looked like at the moment. The faint glow of the moon shone on her face. "You should rest." Japan motioned to the ground. Gaya weakly nodded and the two sat down next to each other._

_Everything was still for a while. They didn't speak, but watched the land._

_Suddenly a large fire not too far away came up. A few blasts from horns came up. Japan looked into the valley the fire was coming from._

"_There she goes again…" Gaya sighed and got up to get a better look._

"_What's going on?" Japan followed. The two walked to the downward slope in order to get a better view._

"_Silla… She's getting ready to invade Baekjae's kingdom. She's been training late every night." She sighed again. "Silla is always trying to prove that she's strong. That she can surpass Goguryeo."_

_Japan nodded. He watched Silla come out onto to field. She was dressed in her military uniform. Several men stood at attention. She nodded at them and smiled._

_Horses galloping came from the distance. The two looked over to see China leading a group of men. The horses came to a stop at the edge of the training grounds._

"_She actually called him over… What a fool…" Even with those words, Gaya said them quietly and with kindness._

"_What's going on?"_

"_Silla plans to take down Baekjae and then Goguryeo. To prove that she's strong." She sighed heavily. "I didn't think she go and ask China to help her."_

_Down in the valley, China jumped off his horse and greeted Silla. They talked and walked into to Silla's house._

_Something felt weird inside Japan. She could have asked him. Maybe he wasn't strong enough. Or maybe it's because she knew China 2,000 years before he was born. Or maybe…_

_His thoughts were interrupted when Gaya cleared her throat. "Japan…" She hesitated and looked at him. Japan didn't realize he was staring at Silla's house. He looked over at Gaya. "Um… Japan… Do you like Silla?"_

_Something felt weird inside him when she asked that question. Her eyes were big and curious. She looked into his eyes trying to read his thoughts. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it._

"_Because if you do…" Gaya seemed to struggle on what to say next. Japan patiently waited. She took a breath. "Because if you do… Then stop."_

_It felt like Gaya had just slapped him across the face. "W… w… why?"_

"_Because… Silla doesn't want to be a girl."_

_Japan was at a loss of words. Was that even possible?_

_Gaya sighed and nodded her head. "It's that hard to believe. In fact, things might have been better if Silla and I were born as boys."_

"_H… How so?"_

"_Well… Before we all split up, Silla and I were kind of put last. The old kings would congratulate Goguryeo, Baekjae, Balhae, and Taebong before recognizing us." Sadness filled Gaya's eyes. "Silla got tired of that. So she left to show that she could be strong and powerful."_

_Everything started to make sense. Women were never equal to men. So why did she want to be equal? Men and women had different duties. It's ridiculous for someone like Silla to have the desire of strength and power._

_Gaya rested her head on her knees. The soft light glistened in her eyes, as if she was crying. "Maybe… Maybe one day… Silla will realize she doesn't need to be strong and powerful." Satisfied, Gaya smiled a little and nodded. "Yes… One day she'll learn she doesn't need to be like Goguryeo. She's perfect the way she is." Looking up at the sky Gaya called out to the gods. "I pray that Silla will one day bloom into a beautiful woman. No one will be able to compare to her beauty." Gaya smiled from ear to ear._

"_How about you Gaya?" Her prayer touched Japan, however it seemed a little strange._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Don't you pray that you will become a beautiful woman?"_

_A sullen look fell on Gaya's face. "It's too late for me. I'm running out of time. I give all of my wishes to Silla."_

_What did that mean? Gaya was strong herself and very capable to be on her own._

_Down in the valley, Silla's door slid open. "Are you sure this will work aru?"_

"_Positive. They won't see it coming." The two bowed and China mounted on his horse. His men followed and left. Silla sighed and went back into the house._

_Gaya got up and brushed her skirt. "I should go back… Silla will wonder where I am." Japan nodded and followed. They walked down the hill into the valley._

_When they reached the house Gaya turned to Japan. "Remember, don't fall in love. Maybe in the future you can."_

_The door slid open at that moment. "Gaya!" Silla stood at the door. She was in a dark blue hanbok. "Hurry up. The rice is getting cold. I even made kimchi!"_

"_Silla… When did you cut your hair?" Gaya frowned and bit her bottom lip a little._

"_Don't worry! It's not much. You can still make a braid. It's just shorter. Now stop worrying and come inside!" With that the door slid closed._

"_Good night Gaya." Japan bowed and Gaya returned it._

_XXX_

_The year was 562 B.C. A week after Japan talked with Gaya, she died._

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**As a refresher:**

**This is during the Three Kingdoms Time Period. In 562 B.C. Silla annexed the Gaya kingdom because they assisted Baekjae in a war against them. Therefore the death of Gaya.**

**For the longest time in World History, women have always been considered less compared to men. Which is why I decided that Silla would have been fed up with it. She wanted a chance to prove herself. One of many reasons why I used fem!korea for this story. Coincidently, in history the kingdom Silla was the first to be established and break off from the united peninsula.**


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